Motorcycles are less stable and less visible than cars and often have high performance capabilities. When motorcycles crash, their riders lack the protection of an enclosed vehicle, so they're more likely to be injured or killed. The federal government estimates that per mile traveled in 2007, the number of deaths on motorcycles was about 37 times the number in cars. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 2009. Traffic safety facts, 2008. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation.

Because serious head injury is common among fatally injured motorcyclists, helmet use is important. Helmets are about 37 percent effective in preventing motorcycle deaths Deutermann, W. 2004. Motorcycle helmet effectiveness revisited. Report no. DOT HS-809-715. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. and about 67 percent effective in preventing brain injuries.[ Error ] Yet only 20 states and the District of Columbia mandate helmet use by all riders. Death rates from head injuries have been shown to be twice as high among motorcyclists in states with no helmet laws or laws that apply only to young riders, compared with states where laws apply to all riders. Sosin, D.M.; Sacks, J.J.; and Holmgreen, P. 1990. Head injury-associated deaths from motorcycle crashes: relationship to helmet use laws. Journal of the American Medical Association 264:2395-99. During the past decade several states have repealed or weakened their helmet laws. Repealing or weakening helmet laws so they don't apply to all riders has been followed by increases in deaths. Preusser, D.F.; Hedlund, J.H.; and Ulmer, R.G. 2000. Evaluation of motorcycle helmet law repeal in Arkansas and Texas. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.[ Error ]Ulmer, D.G. and Northrup, V.S. 2005. Evaluation of the repeal of the all-rider motorcycle helmet law in Florida. Report no. DOT HS-809-849. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In contrast, benefits return when helmet laws applying to all riders are reinstated. McSwain, N.E., Jr. and Willey, A.B. 1984. The impact of reenactment of the motorcycle helmet law in Louisiana. Report no. DOT HS-806-760. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Data subsections:

Trends

A total of 4,281 motorcyclists died in crashes in 2009. Motorcyclist deaths had been declining since the early 1980s but began to increase in 1998 and continued to increase through 2008. Motorcyclist deaths decreased by 16 percent in 2009 compared to 2008, but still accounted for 13 percent of all motor vehicle crash deaths in 2009. In contrast, at 23,437, fewer passenger vehicle occupants died in crashes in 2009 than in any year since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began collecting fatal crash data in 1975.

Passenger vehicle occupant deaths and motorcyclist deaths, 1975-2009

Passenger vehicle occupant and motorcyclist deaths as a percentage of all motor vehicle crash deaths, 1975-2009

Year

Passenger vehicle occupant deaths

Motorcyclist deaths

All motor vehicle deaths

Num

%

Num

%

Num

1975

30,601

69

3,106

7

44,525

1976

31,724

70

3,232

7

45,523

1977

32,823

69

4,004

8

47,878

1978

34,923

69

4,448

9

50,331

1979

35,026

69

4,712

9

51,093

1980

34,996

68

4,955

10

51,091

1981

33,711

68

4,737

10

49,301

1982

29,656

67

4,267

10

43,945

1983

29,154

68

4,099

10

42,589

1984

30,093

68

4,425

10

44,257

1985

29,847

68

4,415

10

43,825

1986

32,224

70

4,309

9

46,087

1987

33,145

71

3,832

8

46,390

1988

34,105

72

3,491

7

47,087

1989

33,599

74

3,030

7

45,582

1990

32,711

73

3,128

7

44,599

1991

30,810

74

2,702

7

41,508

1992

29,457

75

2,291

6

39,250

1993

29,994

75

2,346

6

40,150

1994

30,820

76

2,215

5

40,716

1995

31,913

76

2,138

5

41,817

1996

32,354

77

2,077

5

42,065

1997

32,343

77

2,056

5

42,013

1998

31,781

77

2,227

5

41,501

1999

32,008

77

2,419

6

41,717

2000

32,109

77

2,829

7

41,945

2001

31,938

76

3,123

7

42,196

2002

32,724

76

3,187

7

43,005

2003

32,166

75

3,641

8

42,884

2004

31,750

74

3,904

9

42,836

2005

31,455

72

4,460

10

43,510

2006

30,628

72

4,699

11

42,708

2007

29,155

71

5,050

12

41,259

2008

25,547

68

5,112

14

37,423

2009

23,437

69

4,281

13

33,808

In 2009, fatally injured motorcycle drivers were less likely to be operating without a valid driver's license than in 2000 (22 percent vs. 27 percent). However, the rate of unlicensed fatally injured motorcycle drivers in 2009 was still higher than the rate of unlicensed fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers (14 percent).

In 2009, 56 percent of fatally injured motorcycle drivers were helmeted. Helmet use was lower, at 42 percent, for people killed as passengers on motorcycles.

Helmet use of fatally injured motorcycle drivers and passengers, 2009

No helmet

Helmet

Unknown

Total

Num

%

Num

%

Num

%

Num

%

Driver

1,640

41

2,240

56

102

3

3,982

100

Passenger

166

56

126

42

7

2

299

100

Total*

1,806

42

2,366

55

109

3

4,281

100

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

In 2009, 85 percent of fatally injured motorcyclists were helmeted in states with helmet laws that cover all riders, in contrast to only 20 percent in states with no helmet law. In states with helmet laws that cover only some riders, 35 percent of fatally injured motorcyclists were helmeted.

Helmet use of fatally injured motorcyclists by helmet law status, 2009

No helmet

Helmet

Unknown

Total

Num

%

Num

%

Num

%

Num

No law

151

77

39

20

5

3

195

Partial law

1,426

62

801

35

66

3

2,293

Universal law

229

13

1,526

85

38

2

1,793

Total

1,806

42

2,366

55

109

3

4,281

Age and gender

In the early 1980s the proportion of fatally injured motorcyclists 40 and older started to increase, rising from 9 percent of all rider deaths in 1982 to 15 percent in 1991 and 54 percent in 2009.

Percentage of motorcyclist deaths by age, 1975-2009

Motorcyclist deaths by age, 1975-2009

Year

≤ 29

30-39

40-49

≥ 50

Total*

Num

%

Num

%

Num

%

Num

%

Num

1975

2,475

80

419

13

129

4

79

3

3,106

1976

2,565

79

426

13

142

4

97

3

3,232

1977

3,211

80

529

13

147

4

112

3

4,004

1978

3,557

80

603

14

177

4

104

2

4,448

1979

3,627

77

729

15

212

4

138

3

4,712

1980

3,641

73

896

18

265

5

149

3

4,955

1981

3,487

74

840

18

255

5

146

3

4,737

1982

3,082

72

790

19

247

6

138

3

4,267

1983

2,959

72

765

19

234

6

135

3

4,099

1984

3,171

72

813

18

263

6

165

4

4,425

1985

3,160

72

849

19

238

5

163

4

4,415

1986

3,034

70

877

20

257

6

131

3

4,309

1987

2,588

68

831

22

275

7

138

4

3,832

1988

2,309

66

757

22

278

8

146

4

3,491

1989

1,873

62

735

24

283

9

136

4

3,030

1990

1,885

60

805

26

265

8

173

6

3,128

1991

1,580

58

711

26

283

10

127

5

2,702

1992

1,242

54

638

28

268

12

143

6

2,291

1993

1,229

52

647

28

324

14

145

6

2,346

1994

1,121

51

584

26

338

15

171

8

2,215

1995

1,057

49

562

26

347

16

172

8

2,138

1996

932

45

541

26

408

20

196

9

2,077

1997

837

41

547

27

396

19

276

13

2,056

1998

897

40

599

27

465

21

265

12

2,227

1999

878

36

601

25

564

23

376

16

2,419

2000

986

35

696

25

666

24

476

17

2,829

2001

1,108

35

789

25

715

23

509

16

3,123

2002

1,022

32

767

24

758

24

638

20

3,187

2003

1,161

32

829

23

887

24

763

21

3,641

2004

1,256

32

853

22

946

24

849

22

3,904

2005

1,405

32

963

22

1,003

22

1,088

24

4,460

2006

1,495

32

984

21

1,085

23

1,134

24

4,699

2007

1,547

31

1,033

20

1,148

23

1,317

26

5,050

2008

1,580

31

964

19

1,135

22

1,431

28

5,112

2009

1,134

26

831

19

980

23

1,333

31

4,281

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Ninety percent of motorcyclists killed in 2009 were males.

Motorcyclist deaths by age and gender, 2009

Age

Male

Female

Total*

Num

%

Num

%

Num

< 16

13

76

4

24

17

16-19

108

86

17

14

125

20-24

476

91

46

9

522

25-29

448

95

22

5

470

30-34

348

93

28

7

376

35-39

405

89

50

11

455

40-44

401

86

66

14

467

45-49

453

88

60

12

513

50-54

445

89

55

11

500

55-59

346

90

37

10

383

60-69

346

94

24

6

370

≥ 70

75

94

5

6

80

Total*

3,865

90

416

10

4,281

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Sixty-five percent of the females who died in motorcycle crashes in 2009 were passengers, and their deaths represented 90 percent of the passenger deaths. Ninety-nine percent of the males who died were drivers.

Motorcyclist deaths by person type and gender, 2009

Person type

Male

Female

Num

%

Num

%

Driver

3,836

99

146

35

Passenger

29

1

270

65

Total*

3,865

100

416

100

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Motorcycle type and engine size

Engine sizes of motorcycles whose drivers were killed in crashes went up dramatically in the last few years. Among motorcycle drivers killed in 2009, 29 percent drove motorcycles with engine size larger than 1,400 cc, compared to 9 percent in 2000 and less than 1 percent in 1990.

Among the motorcycles whose drivers were killed in 2009, 84 percent of touring bikes had engines larger than 1,400 cc, while 98 percent of off-road bikes and 96 percent of supersport bikes had engines of sizes 1,000 cc or smaller.

Seventy-four percent of fatally injured drivers of cruisers or standards in 2009 were at least 40 years old, compared with 91 percent of touring bike drivers. In contrast, 64 percent of off-road bike drivers and 61 percent of fatally injured supersport drivers in 2009 were younger than 30.

Fatally injured motorcycle drivers by age and motorcycle type, 2009

< 30

30-39

40-49

50+

Total *

Num

%

Num

%

Num

%

Num

%

Num

Cruiser/standard

142

10

234

16

446

30

641

44

1,463

Touring

9

2

44

8

149

26

372

65

574

Sport-touring

1

4

2

7

11

41

13

48

27

Sport/unclad sport

166

42

120

30

77

19

35

9

398

Supersport

606

61

268

27

83

8

32

3

989

Off-road

36

64

11

20

8

14

1

2

56

Other/unknown

93

20

93

20

125

26

164

35

475

Total

1,053

26

772

19

899

23

1,258

32

3,982

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

At 78 percent, helmet use was highest among fatally injured drivers of sport-touring motorcycles in 2009. Seventy-three percent of fatally injured supersport drivers and sport/unclad sport drivers were helmeted in 2009. About half of fatally injured drivers of touring motorcycles and of cruisers or standards were helmeted.